Reverse Images
by Forbidden Wings
Summary: A changed story of Final Fantasy 9. With everyone's roles in the game mixed up, how will the characters handle the same situatons? Watch as the familiar crew tries to handle their problems and save the world from a whole different perspective.
1. Theif in the Castle

Disclaimer: I don't own any Squaresoft characters, or the plot to FF9. The original characters are, however, mine, as is the most of the plot to this story.  
A/N: All right, I finally have it out here. The FF9 fic I've been dying to do forever. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you I have the best writing skills, but they're decent enough to get me through this thing. I'm not really great at beginnings, either, so I apologize if this chapter is a little rough.  
All right, now that I'm done bashing myself in front of everyone, there are a few things I need to clear up. Names have a been changed, and although you'll probably be able to figure out who is who, I just want to add this key to clear a few things up.  
Garnet is now Toy.  
Zidane is now Arich.  
Eiko is now Michi.  
Everyone else keeps their names, unless I decide randomly to change them. You'll find out everyone's roles soon enough, and they will be as clear as I can make them.  
The only other thing I have to say is enjoy, and please leave a complimentary review on your way out! ^_^  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
It was a hot, sticky evening. The full moon glowed red, illuminating the starless sky. An orange eye enveloped in a dark shadow, it stared down at the lush grounds of Alexandria castle. Though it was so bright it was almost like the sun itself, it failed to expose the figures of two young people, racing towards the castle walls.  
They sped over the sticky grass, staying low to the ground. None of the simple-minded guards noticed them, of course, for they were half-asleep at the late hour. The few that weren't sleeping with their eyes open were busy complaining to each other. After all., the royalty got to sit inside and watch Tantalus perform their spectacular play, while they had to patrol around, in the sweltering heat. Nothing was ever fair, as far as they were concerned.  
Not that the two cared. They virtually ignored the guards as they crept nearer to the castle. They ducked into a shadow provided by the high walls as a sleep-drunken guard passed them on his patrol. Pressed against the cool stone walls, they waited impatiently as he strolled by.  
One of them, a smaller figure with a lopsided hat, gazed anxiously at his comrade, who was hidden under a white hood laced in red. She (it was definitely a she- her body hugging jumpsuit revealed that) returned the gaze with a confident smile, reassuring him with her eyes.  
When the girl was sure no one could see them, she took a few steps into the light. Her eyes scanned over the grass for a second, until she found whatever it was she was looking for. Her friend watched her, but didn't move as she ran a little ways out. She came back a few moments later, shaking her head. In her hands was a sturdy rope with a hook attached to it. She stepped back, and swung it over her head a few times before releasing the top end. It flew, whistling with the speed it gained, towards the top of the castle, hooking onto the edge of a balcony.  
The girl smiled again at the creature beside her, motioning for him to lie low. He gave her a confused glance- or, as confused as he could with the absence of a face- but did as she had bid him. Tugging three times on the rope, the girl began to climb.  
She made quick work of it. Within seconds, she had ascended onto the balcony and was leaning over the edge.  
"Vivi," she called, whispering harshly. The creature did not lift it's head.  
"Vivi!" Still no response.  
Knowing she could not talk any louder- the guards would definitely hear- she looked around for other ways to catch her companion's attention. All that she could find was a small branch. Snatching it up, she broke it into small pieces as quietly as she could. Shooting a cautious glance over her shoulder, she took one of the miniature pieces and hurled at the hat her comrade was wearing.  
"Ow!" he said softly, lifting his head. The girl atop the balcony motioned for him to climb, Rising to his feet, Vivi grabbed a hold of the rope. He began to climb himself, but stopped short when the girl started to pull him up.  
Within moments, the strong female had successfully yanked Vivi up to her level. The tiny creature gave her an indignant look.  
"I could've done it myself, Toy," he growled. His comrade laughed.  
"It would've taken too long," she pointed out. Vivi narrowed the two glowing yellow orbs that were his eyes.  
"I've gotten better."  
"But we don't have the time. We have to get a move on before the guards catch us."  
"Like they'll notice us. They're so tired they wouldn't see us we walked right in front of them," Vivi murmured under his breath.  
Toy ignored him, creeping silently towards the window that looked into the castle. She peered cautiously in, just to make sure no one was about. Although it was a celebration tonight in the castle, it was possible a random servant could pop in to check up on things. But, to Toy and Vivi's relief, there was no one there.  
Toy removed a tiny file from a hidden pocket on her leg. She stuck it under the window, sliding it along the wood. A soft ripping noise could be heard. When Toy yanked the file out, a slight pop sounded from the window, and it lifted just a tiny bit.  
Vivi looked at her, amazed. "What did you do?"  
Toy smiled. "There's a bit of sticky goo stuff on the bottom of the window that prevents it from being opened from the outside somehow. I just scraped it off." She shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure how it all works, but as long as we get in without getting caught, who cares?"  
Vivi nodded. Toy slid her fingers as far under the window as they would go, and gave a mighty yank. Even with all the strength she put into it, it came up slowly. Toy grunted as it slid as far as it would go, and motioning for Vivi to follow, ducked into the thankfully vacant room.  
It was a guest bedroom of some sort, probably never used. It was spotless, the alabaster surfaces shining. Off to one side, Toy could see a bathroom, the door slightly ajar. The bed in the middle of the room was a canopy, decorated in a feminine fashion.  
The two crept softly over the fancy (probably imported) rug towards the door at the end of the room. Silently, they opened it and poked their heads out. When they saw no one, both slinked out into the hall, Vivi quietly shutting the door behind him.  
It was silent, save for the muffled cries of the people on the floors below. Toy began to shuffle down the red-carpeted hall, eyes flitting back and forth.  
"Do you have any idea where it is?" Vivi said, his voice louder than made Toy comfortable. She let him know by slapping him lightly on the head.  
"Keep your voice down!" she reminded him. Vivi lowered his head.  
After a few seconds of silence, Vivi asked his question again, but quieter.  
Toy shook her head. "It could be anywhere really. It's a castle... There's got to be at least a thousand rooms. The chances we'll find it on the first shot are about a thousand to one."  
Vivi groaned. "You mean we might have to come here again?"  
Toy, looking over her shoulder, nodded. Vivi let out another pitiful groan. "Why do we have to come get it? Why can't we go for something that's easier to find, or less likely to get us caught?"  
Toy grinned. "Do you know how much a piece of dirt that was once in here would be worth? The pendant has got to be worth at least ten million gil! We can't forgo an opportunity like this - the Eidolons have given us a shot at becoming rich! We're not gonna pass that up, are we, Vivi?"  
Vivi sighed. "I'm happy like we are, Toy. I just wanna go home!"  
"Well, if you want to go home so bad, I won't stop you, but there's no way I'm leaving. This is a golden opportunity!"  
"To end up dead," Vivi mumbled. Toy didn't hear him, and instead went on walking.  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
Arich wrapped his tail unconsciously around the leg of his chair. The fuzzy limb snaked it's way as far up as it could go, tightening like a python. The tip of it waved back and forth, thumping against the chair leg softly.  
He gripped the arms of his chair tightly, gritting his teeth. Beside him, his mother rose out of her seat, waving her fan and shouting with the crowd. A huge grin spread across her blue face, and she cackled insanely.  
Trying to keep his breath under control, he turned his gaze back to the stage. He hadn't been following the plot- he had never really liked I Want to be Your Canary to begin with. Two of the actors ran amongst the audience, striking at each other with cheap imitations of weapons. Arich sighed. He hadn't wanted such an elaborate celebration for his birthday- in fact, he had wanted to be as far away from any people, especially his commanding mother, as possible.  
A movement at his side alerted him, and he slowly lifted his gaze to the face of a gruff looking man. His flaming red hair fell in dreadlocks onto his face, hiding his eyes. His pointy chin stuck out prominently, decorated with a clean-cut goatee. He was muscular and tall, somewhere in his late twenties, dressed in the garb of a Pluto Knight. The way he stood commanded attention and obedience, but the way he gazed down at Arich was all but professional. It was worried.  
"Arich, are you all right? You seem quiet tonight," he commented in a deep, rumbling voice.  
Arich forced a smile, and said through gritted teeth, "Just fine, Amarant. Everything's fine...."  
The queen looked over to the both of them, fanning herself. Her expression changed from joy to annoyance as her eyes fell onto the intimidating knight.  
"What are you doing here?" she asked without any attempt at being courteous. "I'm trying to watch!"  
"I apologize, Your Majesty. I was just making sure Arich was all right. He looked a little pale."  
Queen Brahne rolled her eyes at her son's guardian. She looked at him disapprovingly for a minute, but then her expression softened into one of fake concern. "Why don't you take him outside for a bit? I'm sure he'll feel better if he gets some fresh air." She smiled. "You never did like crowds, did you, Arich?"  
Arich feigned a smile. Queen Brahne waved her hand. "Go on. No use in wasting a good performance on you if you aren't gonna watch, anyway."  
As the two exited the platform, Amarant shot his charge another glance. Arich did his best to ignore it.  
"What's wrong, Arich? And tell me the truth this time," Amarant scolded, and although Arich couldn't see much of his face, he guessed his eyes were narrowed.  
Arich glanced over his shoulder at the unguarded door to the queen's seats. He kicked half-heartedly at the red carpeting, watching as the threads changed direction under the guidance of his boot. "Nothing serious, Amarant, honestly. I just didn't want such a hubbub on my birthday this year. I hate all these people. I don't even know them. And I hate that stupid play."  
Amarant chuckled softly, looking out the window before them. "You're acting," he teased, "like a spoiled prince."  
Arich glared at him, despite the fact he knew his friend meant no harm. He walked over to the spiraling steps and glumly sat down. His eyes were fixated on the walls, his mind wandering.  
Moments of silence passed, neither of the two talking. When they did move, it was only because they heard some commotion coming from below.  
ClatterClangBangBoom.  
"Ow! Gods and Saints alike!" a tiny voice squeaked, the sound of it ascending the stairs. Arich gave Amarant a knowing look, the former shaking his head exasperatedly.  
"Michi, if you're trying to sneak up on us, this is not the way to do it. The point of a stealth attack is silence," Amarant scolded playfully.  
Footsteps, light and quick, could be heard coming up the stairs, and soon an entire person was visible. A tiny child, she looked the part with her bottom lip jutted out and her hands on her hips. Her emerald eyes were filled with gentle malice. Her lavender hair curved towards her chin, framing her gentle face, but doing nothing to give her appearance the angry edge she wished it to have. The only thing that made her look even remotely threatening was the small horn on her forehead.  
"I wasn't trying to attack," she pointed out, sticking out her tongue. "I was just bringing Arich here his gift. There's no crime in that, is there, brother?"  
Amarant smiled, a slight of laughter sounding. Of course she would have the prince's gift - she had had a killer crush on him since the day they met, and never forgot to get him a gift for any sort of holiday.  
Michi approached the prince, who watched her with curious teal eyes. "What did you get me?" he asked, his tail swiping back and forth over the carpet, a sure sign he was amused. "C'mon, let's see it.'  
Michi waved a delicate finger at him. "Guess first."  
Arich's eyes narrowed. "You know I hate guessing games," he said. Michi smiled at him, shuffling her weight in between her feet.  
"You won't get it unless you at least try to guess, Zidane," Michi said, using her pet name for him. When she was little, he often read her a book in which the main character was a young man named Zidane. Since the two had seemed so alike to the young child, she had proclaimed that she would call the prince Zidane.  
Arich rolled his eyes, but it was obvious he wasn't the least bit annoyed with the child. He chewed his lip thoughtfully for a moment, the his face brightened with an idea. "A pony?" he suggested, leaning forward in anticipation. "I always wanted a pony."  
Michi giggled, shaking her head. "Try again," she said, her face a mask of determination.  
Arich leaned back against the stairs, fiddling with his tail. "Hmm," he mused. "What about a puppy? Puppies are nice."  
"No! C'mon, you gotta try harder than that!"  
Arich looked puzzled. "Why don't you just tell me what it is? Or better yet, just hand it over." He stood up, extending his hands, awaiting his gift. Michi shook her head. "Unless you take another guess - a real guess - I won't give you anything," she smirked.  
Arich pretended to be shocked. "You wouldn't!" he said, his mouth wide open and his hand on his forehead.  
Michi's smile grew larger. "Would too."  
Arich sighed a sigh of defeat. "Well, I have no choice. How about.... a bracelet? I hear those are popular this time of year."  
In the background, Amarant rolled his eyes.  
"Nope, silly. Those are for girls," Michi reminded him. Arich slapped his forehead. "Ah, yes. Why can I never remember?"  
Michi giggled. "Silly!" she accused, and Arich swooped down to tickle her. She screamed in delight as Arich proclaimed, "Never!"  
"Stop, Zidane - STOP! You're gonna make me drop the gift!"  
Arich pulled back, plunking back down on the stairs. "Sorry," he said, his tail twitching. "Now c'mon, hand it over."  
"Promise you won't laugh?"  
"Promise."  
Michi pulled her hands out from behind her back, revealing a large purple sack. She held it out to Arich, who took it, giving her a curious glance. "I wonder...," he began.  
Within the blink of an eye, Arich had removed the satchel and was holding the gift in his hands. Lying dormant in his hands was a large chocobo egg, its outer shell gleaming silver. Arich lifted his eyebrows, his expression one of surprise.  
  
"Where did you get this, Michi?" he asked, his voice full of wonder.  
"I saved up for a whole three months. A very nice man on the street corner sold it to me." She lowered her eyes, her voice quiet and demure. "I always wanted a chocobo for my own," she whispered.  
Arich smiled at her. "Tell you what," he said, lowering the egg to his lap, "since I'm prince and I don't have too much time, why don't you take care of this little guy for me? That way, someone will always be taking care of him. I can't think of a better person for the job! Besides, he's gonna need someone younger than me to play with him - someone with lot's of energy."  
Michi looked up sharply, her eyes gleaming. "Really?" she breathed, a smile spreading rapidly over her face.  
Arich nodded sternly. "I proclaim you, Michi, Official Chocobo Keeper and Play-Wither." He handed the chocobo egg over to Michi, whose eyes became aglow at the sight of it. "Take good care of him," Arich whispered, rising.  
Michi nodded vigorously. "I promise! He won't want for anything!"  
"Michi? Where you go? Time for cook, not play!" Someone ascended the stairs, and all pairs of eyes turned to see Quina the Qu panting atop them. "Why so many stairs...?" she wondered aloud, her breath coming short.  
Michi spun on her heel to face her friend and boss, clutching the egg protectively to her chest. "I'm right her, Quina! I was just giving Zi- I mean, Arich his gift."  
Quina clambered up the last few stairs to face the child. "You give gift? Only gift you should be giving dinner! Not enough people to cook without you! Come back and work, youngling, before I make dinner of you."  
Although her face betrayed nothing, it was obvious Quina was only teasing. Quina had, after all, practically raised the child. Right after Amarant had become a Knight of Pluto, his parents had died, leaving Michi homeless. She had moved into the castle with her brother, but although Amarant cared for the child, he did not have much time to be with her. So Michi had found the kitchens, and the comfort of Quina with it. And ever since then, she had helped with the work in the kitchen, especially on busy nights like that one.  
Michi sighed. "I'm coming. I wasn't gonna be that long!" she grumbled playfully as they descended the stairs.  
"What that you got there?" Arich and Amarant heard Quina say.  
"It's a chocobo egg! Arich's letting me take care of it," Michi boomed, and they could both picture the broad smile on her face.  
"Look like good for eat," Quina said.  
"Quina! Eww, get your tongue off of my baby!"  
"Hm, need more salt."  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
Red Steel sat in front of the mirror in his dressing room, his eyes wide in anticipation. In a few minutes, he, a small-time actor virtually unknown to the world of Gaia, would appear before the queen of Alexandria herself! His was the role of a lifetime!  
A knock came at his door and a shout from someone on the outside could be heard. "Five minutes, Steel!"  
Red tensed, nodding. He glanced at the large clock in his room, then turned back to the mirror in front of him. With a determined nod, he donned the fake metal helmet and charged out of the room.  
People bustled back and forth behind the stage curtain, all looking nervous and tired. Red walked among them like a prince among men, head held high. A knowing smirk crept across his face as he watched them bustle about.  
Poor souls, he pitied, shaking his head. Half of them aren't even going on stage tonight! And yet I, Red Steel, have the privilege of performing for the queen! When I become famous, I will remember them. Poor, poor souls indeed.  
Red stood high and tall behind the curtain. He listened patiently for his cue, for the line that would allow him enter the stage.  
"The guards should report back soon, milord."  
Ah, there it was. Charging out from behind the curtain, Red Steel strode across the stage to where two actors were waiting for his all- important arrival. He stopped and turned towards the audience just as one of them asked, "Have you seen milady this night, noble guard?"  
From here, he could see the queen, smiling down at him expectantly. There were hundreds of friendly faces staring at him, all waiting for what he might say. Would he seal the fate of Marcus and Cornelia, or would they live to see another day?  
He looked into the faces and became thunderstruck. There had to be at least five-hundred of them, all lords and ladies, or people of noble descent. And then, high above them all, was the queen.  
Oh, gods! The queen was watching!  
He froze, the one line he had to say stuck in his throat.  
"I said, have you seen milady this night , noble guard," the actor beside him hissed, the sound of his voice echoing in Red's ear.  
The queen looked down at him, disgusted and confused. He had failed to impress her - he had ruined her evening! His fate was sealed now! There had to be some way to make it up to her...  
Behind the queen, Red saw a motion - a flourish of a white cloak, a glimpse of a person's body. A covered face peered from behind the queen's chair, and a single pale hand reaching for her neck.  
Suddenly, Red knew how to save himself from certain humiliation.  
"Queen Brahne! Behind you! Assassin!"  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
Toy's hand froze in midair as the queen turned around to face her. Brahne's cruel eyes bored into hers. For a single moment, everything was still and calm. And then...  
"Kill her!"  
There was no time to think. Toy just reacted. Suddenly, she was up, dodging the weapons of two guards, and squeezing in between the doors before they shut. Her feet fell out fast beneath her, leading her to... Well, anywhere but there.  
Under her breath, she cursed herself. What had she been thinking, sneaking into the queen's theater box? That was suicide. Vivi had warned her against it, but she had been so focused on her prize she had blocked him out.  
Speaking of which, where was the little creature?  
Toy heard footsteps behind her, and spying a staircase at her side, slid down the banister. She barely had time to breath before she was on her feet and running again.  
"You can't get away!" she heard a guard call out.  
Racing down the hallway, she prayed to whatever god existed that she survived. She would never pull anything so stupid again, if she could only get out of here unharmed.  
Glancing quickly over her shoulder at the advancing guards, Toy turned a corner.  
"Oof!"  
She bumped into something hard. Very hard. Taken aback, she looked up, stricken dizzy, terrified. Toy sucked in a breath as she found herself looking into the face of the crown prince of Alexandria.  
Her first though was a childish one. The people of the town had been right. He was very good looking, but far more so than any old woman on the street corner had warned. And, Toy noted, he had very hard abs.  
His golden-blonde hair was bushy, but in a natural and calm sort of way. It fell all over his face elegantly, brushing curiously against his cheek. It was long, tied into a formal ponytail in the back. His eyes were almond, cat-like, glimmering teal and rimmed in yellow. They blinked twice at her, slowly. He was tall and thin, but Toy could make out some muscle beneath the confines of his shirt.  
Toy sucked in another breath. Now she was in for it.  
"She went this way!"  
"Over here!"  
Upon hearing the voices of the guards again, Toy's feet picked themselves up. But the strong arms of the prince kept her from going anywhere. She found herself face-to-face with his chest again.  
And then she saw it.  
It was hanging from his neck on a long chain, glowing softly in the dim light. The pendant was all colors at once, and then, none at all. It changed from every angle she looked at it, winking at her. She had found it. All by luck, it was right there in front of her.  
She heard the clanging of the guards approaching, and vaguely noted that their armor must be slowing them down quite a bit. Toy pulled back, struggling against his grip.  
"Let me go!" she growled, placing her hands on his chest and pushing back. Keeping her face turned away, Toy let her fingers wrap around the pendant. With a gentle, imperceptible tug, the chain broke and the pendant was in her hands.  
Not skipping a beat, Toy kicked him hard in the gut. The prince doubled over, letting out a gasp of pain. His grip on Toy released, and she was off and running again.  
Or so she thought.  
In moments, she found herself splayed out on the floor, face down. Making sure the pendant was still in her hands, she pushed herself up, facing the fallen prince. His leg was extended out- with her on top of it- and realizing what he had done, she shot him a nasty look. With a smug smile, the young prince returned the glare. But his expression changed to one a shock as he saw the pendant in her hands.  
Toy jumped to her feet, seeing the guards turning the corner. Gasping, she ran as fast as she could, praying this would be the last of her encounters this evening.  
The footsteps behind her were like thunder, and Toy was sure the prince had joined both the guards after her. She had no idea where she was going. She just let her feet guide her.  
Maybe it wasn't such a smart idea.  
She turned yet another corner, hoping that no noble or foreign king was there waiting for her to bump into. It wouldn't have stopped her, but still...  
The footsteps were coming closer. She could feel the breath of someone on her neck, and she put all her energy into speeding up. If she ever made it out of here, it would be a close one.  
She glanced back and forth as she raced onwards. Where had Vivi gone? Had the little chicken wimped out on her? She grumbled under her breath. He would be of real use right now.  
With a quick glance over her shoulder, Toy bounded up a flight of stone stairs. The prince was practically on her heels again, and silently, she groaned.  
Around and around the stairs went, getting higher and higher. Toy was beginning to feel very tired, but she suspected the guards with the heavy metal armor weren't doing much better. The prince however...  
No time to think. She broke open a door in front of her, light flashing into her eyes. A balcony. Great.  
Toy ran to the edge of the balcony, leaping onto the stone rail that lined it. The prince stumbled to a halt, angry light catching in his cat- eyes. She smirked at him from atop her perch. She looked above her quickly, searching for a way to get down without killing herself. After all, there was no way she was going to stay here and get caught.  
A rope, covered in tiny flags, was just within her reach. Hastily, she grabbed it. She pulled hard on it, and one end came loose. Just as the guards came panting through the door, and just as the prince lunged at her, was when Toy jumped back.  
Time slowed down, stopped even. Toy could hear nothing but the wind rushing through her ears. A sense of exhilaration overcame her as the ground below rushed up to greet her.  
Blinking, Toy's mouth opened a little. No, that wasn't ground beneath her. That was an airship.  
She began to swing over it, and realizing her limited options, released the rope. Her feet had barely hit the ground before she was up and running again. Crew members of the ship gave her odd looks as she raced by, the audience before it watching her, mesmerized.  
"Toy!"  
Not stopping, the young thief looked up. Immersed in the sea that was the audience, Vivi stared up at her in surprise. Toy sighed heavily.  
He had been watching the play.  
The young mage came running through the crowd after her, leaping onto the airship's stage. He disappeared beneath the built-in stage, and Toy pushed on.  
Before she knew what she was doing, Toy found herself in the cockpit of the hybrid theater-ship. She stared blankly at the controls, trying to regain her breath, when her objective became clear.  
The only way to escape - to get both her and Vivi out of here alive - was to take over the ship.  
With renewed determination, Toy pushed up a lever that said clearly, "Engine." The airship hummed to life beneath her, rising a few more feet into the air. She heard people yell and scream, and did not doubt some of the people aboard had slipped off.  
But it didn't matter. Not to her. Not right now.  
Grabbing ahold of the wheel, Toy turned it sharply to the right. It obeyed her command immediately, slowly moving in a wide circle to the right. People below screamed as it slammed into a castle wall, but the ship kept turning, slicing though the stone as if it were air.  
Toy kept pushing the wheel to the right, and she murmured under her breath to comfort herself. "It's just like those minis in Lindblum," she told herself. "Only much bigger..."  
It seemed like forever before the ship turned all the way, facing the world. Facing freedom.  
Narrowing her eyes, Toy shoved a lever beside her as far up as it would go. Painstakingly, the ship began to move forwards.  
"Come on! You can go faster than that!" Toy chided, gritting her teeth.  
The ship slowly began to pick up speed, but it wasn't enough... Nervously, Toy wondered why the queen wasn't firing at the ship yet.  
With a giant lurch, speed caught up with the ship. It seemed for a glorious instant she was going to escape when the explosion came.  
The ship had leaped forwards, only to be pulled back. Toy looked out the window behind her. The queen had begun firing. From cannons mounted on the castle walls came spear-chains, slamming into the hull of the ship. Grinning, Toy pushed the ship on. After a moments struggle, the ship broke free with a groan, the chains falling uselessly to the ground.  
Toy almost laughed out loud, seeing the blue face of the queen turn almost purple with rage. And then her laughter stopped short.  
An explosion shook the side of the ship, yells of the crew members sounding off in the background. The ship was going faster and faster, but now it was swaying violently, the wooden hull m moaning. Another explosion came from behind, shoving the ship forwards, but jarring those aboard.  
One after another, the explosions came, attacking the ship from every conceivable side. Toy yelled out in anger, biting her lip. She was convinced the ship would fall, but somehow, it kept going. Bits of glass and wood were flying everywhere, but Toy made herself keep her focus on her objective. Freedom.  
All in a moment, the explosions stopped, and everything became deathly silent. She could hear vaguely the popping of more bombs being fired in the distance, but she was unsure whether or not it was just the first explosions ringing in her ears.  
Sighing, Toy slowed the ship some, not wanting to strain it. The city of Alexandria was shrinking fast behind her, but that did nothing to diminish the damage the bombs had caused. Any second now, the airship could crumble beneath.  
It was all a matter of time.  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
A/N: I know, I know a strange place to end. But hey, it was a strange chapter, so it fits. I'm sorry if this wasn't as good as you expected it to be, but I am just coming out, so I can only improve from here. I promise the other chapters will at least be remotely better! Please, leave me a review. I know it gets annoying, people asking you to do that, but I would at least like to know what everyone thinks before I start working on another chapter. If I do start working on another chapter...  
Well, anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope I did my best to please you! 


	2. Ghum Shuda

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Squaresoft has ever made, and in no way claim credit for them.  
  
Author's Note: Well, I'm back! You thought you could get rid of me, but just when you think it's safe to read fan fiction, I upload and post the next chapter. Sorry guys, but it had to happen.  
  
I'm so happy with the positive reaction I got to my story! I actually got reviews - good reviews. For my first story, I think that's pretty good. Oh, and Allison, if you're reading this, remember our "secret conversation." ^_^! Anyway, one explanation for today. Ghum Shuda in Hindi means "Missing," and I thought it a good chapter name. Obviously, since I used it. My best friend is also Indian, so I used the name as a tribute to her.  
  
One more thing - my computer is being diffifcult, so if the format and junk is messed up, please just ignore it. Italics won't work on here, either, for some reason, so just pretened the words that should be emphasized are.  
  
Thanks so much for the reviews you guys, and please drop another one off before you go away. I think it's a fair payment for me writing this story. ^_^  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
  
  
It had been instinct- pure, unbridled instinct- that had made Arich jump out after the airship. He hadn't stopped to think about the consequences, hadn't paused to consider the danger he would be putting himself in. He just… jumped.  
  
It wasn't as if it had been that hard of a jump. Just before it had broke free of the chains, there had been no movement- the entire ship, as well as the people in the castle, had stopped. And it wasn't as if it had been that far. The ship was practically in front of him, so it wasn't at all that hard to make in on the ship.  
  
The real problem had been trying to stay on the ship.  
  
Just as soon as he had jumped, the ship had broke free. And then, immediately after, had picked up speed. So, instead of landing safely on the deck as he had planned, all he managed to do was grab onto the rail.  
  
Wonderful.  
  
And then, before he had any chance to climb aboard, the cannons had fired. Under his breath and all the screams of the crewmen, he had cursed his mother.  
  
Vainly, he had tried over and over again to climb aboard the ship and seek safety inside. And every time he was just about to be on board, another cannon had fired.  
  
Not that he wasn't grateful he had not been hit, but if the Eidolons could manage to keep him from exploding, couldn't they muster enough strength to get him on the ship? He hadn't felt that was too much to ask.  
  
But, as usual, no cosmic figure had been listening to what he had to say.  
  
So now he found himself, hanging on for dear life, praying to any Eidolon he could think of he wouldn't fall now.  
  
The wind was cruel and merciless against his skin, slashing viciously at anything it could get at. It made his eyes water, which did not help in the area of sight, and it made it very difficult indeed to get a good grip on the ship. So, naturally, he was grateful when it slowed down.  
  
He looked briefly over his shoulder, trying to estimate how far away he was from his beloved city. But the only thing he was able to see was the infernal Mist, shrouding everything in his line of view.  
  
Arich managed to lift his chin just above the railing. His almond eyes carefully scanned the deck, squinting to make out shapes in the Mist. He convinced himself that no one was aboard the deck at least, most likely having been thrown off.  
  
Forcing strength into his practically numbed limbs, Arich hoisted himself over the rail and onto the deck. Without a sound, he headed towards the first door he saw, creeping with cat-like grace.  
  
The door creaked loudly as he entered, screaming his intentions to anyone who was in earshot. With a start, Arich stopped all motion, fervently looking back and forth for any signs of movement. Nothing.  
  
Inhaling deeply, the wary prince stepped into the room. All the lights, if there were any on this primitive vehicle, were turned off. The dark failed to hinder his vision, however, and he cast a quick glance over the interior. The place was barren, save for a few netted crates. Opposite of him was another rickety door.  
  
Without hesitating, the young prince headed towards it, his footsteps quick and light. This door, although it looked far less sturdy, didn't protest when it was opened. Light, bright and strong, shot into Arich's eyes are soon as he stepped into the doorway, and he had to shut them momentarily against the glare.  
  
He stumbled clumsily up some worn stairs, following them into a dimly lit hallway. He walked along it undisturbed. It made him uneasy, the lack of people here. There had been people- other than the thief- in the ship, hadn't there? Where had they, then, gotten to? It was not a settling thought.  
  
The hallway ended in a choice of several doors. Agitated, Arich chose the one directly in front of him and determinedly charged through.  
  
He almost immediately regretted it.  
  
A yelp of surprise escaped Arich and two other forms on the other side of the room. It was followed immediately by a bright flash of blinding light and a sudden explosion against Arich's chest.. He fell to his knees, gasping in vain for air as a ravaging burning sensation encompassed his entire body. A soft whisper of smoke came from an unknown destination, the elusive scent taunting Arich's nose. He was vaguely aware of a murmur of muffled voices, but he could not hold his concentration on it- the sound of dying flames hissing echoed in his ears and drowned everything else out.  
  
Wrapping his arms around him in a futile attempt to push out the pain, Arich lifted his head gingerly, which made him painfully aware of a throbbing sensation in its side. Letting out a muffled cry, Arich cradled his pounding head in his palms, only to hastily remove them as they stung upon contact from apparent burns. He grit his teeth, forced strength upon himself, and looked up again.  
  
He could barely see anything. His vision was blurred and unfocused, the room spinning round and round in irregular circles. He could make out the people at the other end of the room if he concentrated hard enough, but they waved back and forth like wisps of escaping smoke. They came warily closer, the vibrations from their feet causing jolts of pain to run up and down Arich's spine.  
  
Faster and faster the room spun, the floor rippling underneath him like waves upon a stormy ocean. The walls shook. Colors and shapes ran together like wet paint upon a canvas. Arich struggled to keep himself conscious, but it was for naught. The room gave a final quiver before the young and inexperienced prince fell with a gasp to the floor.  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
To say Queen Brahne was in a bad mood would have been an understatement. She was livid. Her blue face was purple and red with pent-up rage, her yellow eyes wide and crazed. She stood with her shoulders hunched, facing the direction the airship had disappeared into.  
  
With a disgusted look over her shoulder, she shouted, "Get me the captain!"  
  
Every guard, servant, and even a few of the guests that remained, jumped up to fulfill the angered queen. Within moments, the entire room was empty, save for Her Majesty.  
  
Impatiently, she fanned herself. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for some poor soul to scream at. She needed to place the blame on somebody's shoulders, and it certainly wouldn't be hers.  
  
"Your Majesty?" she heard Amarant call, his voice suddenly behind her.  
  
She turned quickly and suspiciously. She narrowed her yellow eyes at the captain, flashing her teeth angrily.  
  
"What took you so long?" she hissed, but Amarant said nothing, instead remaining at attention. The queen licked her parched lips, taking in a steadying breath. "Send your best trackers out after that ship. I want to get find that wench and bring her back! I don't care how you do it- whether it be airship, boat, chocobo, or foot. Just get me that girl! We don't want the little witch to get away," she said moodily.  
  
The captain started walking obediently away before Queen Brahne called him back. "And for Saint's sake, Amarant, fetch me my son!"  
  
The knight hurried off, never uttering a protest to his queen. Brahne watched him go with beady eyes. When the doors were closed safely behind him, she flung her brittle fan to the floor, watching in satisfaction as the weak twigs broke into pieces and slid across the floor.  
  
The time ticked by slowly as she waited. Where was that useless son of hers? She snorted. She had to do something about that boy, and fast. He was getting too… Well, she didn't know the word, but whatever it was, it wasn't good.  
  
Below her, the familiar shouts and yells of the troops being commanded were sounding off. Brahne grinned to herself. It wouldn't be long before that girl was found and caught. There was no way she would be able to escape- Queen Brahne had the best men on the face of the planet. They would track her down easily.  
  
A soft breeze swept through her, and she regarded it with a shiver. A cold presence had entered the room, and she could feel it behind her- sucking the soul out of the room. Startled, Brahne turned on her heel, trying to keep control of herself.  
  
He was standing with one hand on his hip, his head tilted to one side and his mouth curved into a wicked smile. His cobalt eyes were glittering with a sinister light, emanating from the depths his soul. His shaggy silver hair fell over his shoulders and face, casting playful shadows across his pale cheeks. From under his revealing robes came a long tail, curving up towards the ceiling and wiggling and writhing hypnotically.  
  
Seeing the look upon the queen's face, the young man laughed. "I see you weren't expecting me," he said, without any respect or regard for her station.  
  
Brahne sighed. "Oh, it's only you. What do you want, Kuja?" she asked, more gently than she had ever asked to anyone else.  
  
He lifted his head just a little bit, his small smile growing. "I thought perhaps-"  
  
"Your Majesty!"  
  
Kuja's head snapped to the side, his dark eyes narrowing and his mouth furrowing into a frown. Queen Brahne gently lifted her gaze to a young knight, whose eyes were wide and alarmed.  
  
"Yes?" she prodded, taking care to make her voice even.  
  
The knight let out a shaky breath. "Your Highness, Prince Arich is not inside the castle!"  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
  
  
Toy let out a gasp. "What did you do to him?" she asked, her eyes wide with both fear and fascination.  
  
Vivi looked alarmed. "I…I didn't mean to… I mean… When he came in here, he startled me…and…I just reacted."  
  
"Well, that's a hell of a reaction, Vivi. You just attacked the Prince of Alexandria!"  
  
Vivi looked at his gloves, shaking. They were still hot from the Fire spell he had managed to conjure, still black with soot and irreversibly singed. His eyes widened. "I had no idea… I could do something that powerful. I mean, I've cast spells before… but never like that."  
  
Toy squatted down, lowering herself to the young man's level. "Do you think he'll be ok?" she asked, her quiet voice holding a hint of worry.  
  
Vivi sat down slowly, never tearing his gaze away from his unsteady hands. "I… I hope so."  
  
Toy leaned forward a little more, listening to the prince's soft breaths. At least he was alive. But would that change…? Silently, she surveyed the damage. His clothes were singed and torn, black with ash and a little red with blood. His entire face was ashen and gray, his body burnt and mangled. It didn't look good, but it didn't look too serious a case, either. Toy gritted her teeth, remembering worse…  
  
But it was no time for reminiscing. She sat back, analyzing the situation. The question of why the prince had come presented itself to her mind, and when she gave the obvious answer, feelings of anger and resentment arose.  
  
That little snake! He had come after her to get the pendant back. Wrapping her fingers around it, Toy glared at the almost completely still form of the prince. After all the hard work she had done to get it, he was here to take it back! Didn't he have enough riches? He couldn't just let her have this one token so she could support herself and Vivi?  
  
But deep down, Toy knew better. It was the royal family's heirloom. It was synonymous with the crown. Of course he wouldn't let her take it- it was too important.   
  
Making sure Vivi wasn't looking, she stuck her tongue out at him. She had it now, and if he wanted it, he was going to have to take it by force.  
  
So there, she thought, smiling wickedly to herself.  
  
Toy stood up quickly, startling the entranced Vivi into awareness. "Well, even if he is here to get his treasure from us," she murmured, mostly to herself than Vivi, "he doesn't deserve to die on the floor."  
  
At the word 'die,' Vivi let out a startled breath, yellow eyes widening.  
  
"Relax," Toy said. "I'll cast a healing spell on him and he'll be fine. He probably would be alright anyway. Come on, help me lift him."  
  
Vivi shuffled over to his friend, casting a suspicious glance over his shoulder. "What about the ship?" he asked, his voice full of fear.  
  
"I put it on auto-pilot. We'll be fine."  
  
With that settled, the two bent down and each gingerly grabbed an arm of the prince. They hoisted him up and somehow managed to prop him up on Toy's back. They started out of the room, Toy grumbling under the greater weight of the young man, Vivi trying in vain to carry the prince's limp legs.  
  
They had almost made it out the door when a violent shudder went through the ship and it exploded into a menagerie of sound and lights. It reeled backwards, tipping towards the ground.  
  
Toy screamed, feeling herself dragged to the other end of the room. Vivi was flailing his arms and legs about, suspended in midair as he tumbled towards the steering wheel of the ship. Both slammed into the control panels, their yells of fear drowned out by the screeches of airship alarms.  
  
The ship spiraled out of control, tossing the figures from side to side. It was impossible to remain upright, unfathomable to stay stationary.  
  
Toy tried hard to hold on to the prince, but it was less easy than she would have thought. She collided with the window, doing her best to shield his unconscious form. With her face pressed against the glass, Toy was able to see the ground looming ever closer.  
  
Another jolt sent her and Vivi upwards, only for them to seconds later smash into the floor. Hitting her head and back against the hard wood, Toy was left momentarily breathless and stunned. In that short amount of time, the prince slipped from her grip.  
  
Before Toy could do anything, the ship rocked unsteadily to the side, and the prince slid across the room and smashed into the window. But he did not stop there, as Toy had done only seconds earlier. The force that ship had made him fall much faster and harder, and the cheap glass broke easily under the strain. Toy yelped as she saw him slide onto the deck.  
  
They were only feet away from the ground now. Vivi couldn't help but be frightened as he saw the trees come closer…  
  
Toy tried to climb out after the prince, but the collision of airship and ground forced her back.  
  
To say the crash was loud would have been a gross understatement. It shook the trees at the very edge of the forest in which the ship had landed, reverberating through rocky plains miles away. A cloud of dust and smoke immediately enveloped the ship, making it impossible to see anything.  
  
The front end of the airship was smashed into the ground, and the other end had broken off with a large snap. But, although it was a little banged up, it was still intact.   
  
Toy coughed loudly, shutting her eyes as the dust encircled them. Her mind reeled, and for a moment, she forgot entirely what had just happened. But as the dust began to settle and Toy was able to see, everything became clear again.  
  
She was quite surprised they had not been killed. They had not been that far up, it was true, but…  
  
Toy's eyes widened as she remembered the prince. Although she may not have liked him, or the fact that he had been coming for the necklace, she did not believe it would be honorable to just let him die. She clambered through the hold Arich had made in the window, slipping down the sloping deck. She hit the protective railing with a light thump, and sighing, scanned the area for the lost prince.  
  
The deck was completely bare. Toy sucked in a breath as it dawned on her.   
  
He had fallen off.  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
Well, we'll stop there for today. Not much to say, besides I should see you next week. Review, I hope you enjoyed, and all that other stuff everybody says when they're done with a chapter. See you next week!  
  
-Me ^_^ 


	3. The Second Meeting

Disclaimer: I do not own FF9, any of its characters, or anything else in the Squaresoft world. Any original characters that will make later appearances are mine, however, and I will sure your pants off if you take them.  
  
Author's Note: Well, here's the long-awaited chapter three. I have found a solution for the italics problem- it may get annoying, but it's the only way I can get it to work. Anything that should be in italics will now have * on either side of it. Sorry for the inconvenience.  
  
My thanks go out to all who reviewed-especially kingleby. A fellow author, she has been kind enough to review both chapters. She too has a FF9 fic out, entitled, "A new soul for the angel of death." Check it out! Thank you, kingleby!!!!! ^_^  
  
And to all my friends, thanks for reviewing as well. I know I bullied you into it, but hey, you seemed okay about it… And Gayathri, I will update as soon as I can, but I don't know if I can update any more often since SOMEONE keeps making me go over to their house. *laughs*  
  
From here on out, there may be some drastic changes to the original story-line. Try to tolerate them- possibly even embrace them. I'm really trying hard here people, so don't fuss if this story isn't the exact counterpart to FF9. I don't want it to be all that similar - that would get boring. At least it would be for me to write.  
  
Well, I expect that the next chapter should be up by the same time as usual, so check on it then. See you guys, and as always, please review!  
  
  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
The sickle moon was slowly going down in star-strewn darkness, and through the lifting Mist, Amarant could see the light of dawn approaching on the horizon. He had been walking all night, and now his footsteps were laden with exhaustion. He knew that he was supposed to have remained at the castle, but he was not about to sit idly while the prince could be in conceivable danger- even if the queen insisted his duties were at the castle.  
  
But he was definitely not getting very far. He had assumed that Arich had taken the route the airship had gone, but he had seen no sign of any other life besides himself the entire trip. Which, by the way, had been a *very* long one.  
  
Amarant paused at the top of a hill to allow his body a few minutes rest. He gazed angrily at his feet. He felt he could hardly move, but yet he did not want to stay still too long. After all, the prince *was* his charge, and it *was* his duty to get him back to the castle.  
  
He wiggled his toes absentmindedly, scanning the area. The Mist was becoming less heavy as the approaching sunlight burned some of it away, but it was still extremely difficult to see through it. He squinted, searching for any signs of movement, which seemed idiotic even to him- if the prince had gone in this direction, he certainly would be farther along than this. His Majesty was not one to cease when he thought he was doing something worthwhile.  
  
*Stubborn fellow.*  
  
Amarant sucked in a breath, painstakingly trudging down the hill. The Mist stirred and politely moved out of his way as he walked on, but did nothing to help his vision. His red locks became damp with stray water droplets from the Mist, his armor becoming slick and cool. He waved his hand, trying to part some more of the Mist in front of him as he moved on, but all he saw was more of that same infernal stuff that blocked his view.  
  
He could tell this was not going to be an easy journey. But he had no choice. He had to find Arich.  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
Cold. That was the first thing that was noticeable to him. And without opening his eyes, he instinctively knew it was dark outside his closed lids. The area beneath him was soft but damp, comfortable yet discomforting. He stirred, painfully aware of a relentless war-drum beating inside of his head. A dull pain maliciously cradled most of his body, throbbing half-heartedly.  
  
Arich's teal eyes popped open. The first thing he saw was a canopy of savage trees, oddly enough. The last thing he remembered… the last thing he remembered…  
  
"Villainous worm," he mumbled, not exactly sure *who* he was cursing, but content enough in the fact he was cursing *someone.*  
  
Pushing himself up from his back onto his elbows, the young prince took a look around. The dark was almost suffocating, it pressed so hard against him. The fading stars were hardly visible through the cover-up of tree leaves, and hardly any light managed to break through. Arich squinted, blinking furiously as his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness.  
  
With a swift motion and a small grunt, Arich had managed to get to his feet. The ground moved unsteadily under his feet as he walked forwards. He, of course, had no idea where he was going, but what did it matter? It didn't- not as long as he found *some* way out of here.  
  
But that proved harder than he had thought. Only several minutes into his "journey," he found himself *exactly* where he had started. Standing there, feet planted in the overgrown moss, Arich felt entirely hopeless and irreversibly aggravated. He had never so much as set a foot outside the castle before- much as he had wanted to- and now he was expecting to magically appear at the outside of this forest.  
  
Obviously, this wasn't going to work. Not as he had planned, anyway.  
  
Grumbling to himself, Arich began to once again walk straight in front of him, this time paying more attention to the surroundings and less to his grumbling stomach. If he wanted to make it out of here, he was going to have to concentrate.  
  
The thought of getting out of the forest reminded him of somehow getting back to the castle, and that reminded him of just what he had left the castle for. The frustration that had begun to stir in his stomach boiled ominously. How could he return, after disobeying strict orders to remain where he was, without the pendant as proof of why he had left? It would be a disgrace to his family's honor. Not to mention his dignity.  
  
No, he could not go back. Not without the pendant- and perhaps the thief who had taken it. There was no other way.  
  
He jumped lazily over a fallen tree, his thoughts running away with him. He had never tracked anything but some deer, and maybe the occasional chocobo, and he had no idea where to start with this girl, but he was certain he could find her some way.  
  
After he got out of the forest.  
  
Arich let out a tired sigh. It wasn't going to be easy, that much was certain.  
  
The scenery around him had suddenly changed. Instead of being the lush, exotic forest, it had now changed into a menacing, dying menagerie of horrid looking trees and plants. The sounds of the animals rustling about from before had faded away, and the ground beneath him was no longer soft and mossy- more along the lines of hard and barren.  
  
Arich kept walking, though slower and more cautious, confusion written plainly on his face. His tail twitched back and forth warily, which did nothing to comfort the perplexed prince.  
  
A rustling sounded ominously behind him. Arich stopped mid-stride, freezing into place. The sound moved around him, coming from the back, then the side, and then the front, where it suddenly stopped. Arich made no move, dared make no sound, as he watched the area where the last sound had come from.  
  
Slowly, keeping his eyes directly on the spot where he guessed whatever it was hid, Arich lowered himself to the ground and curled his fingers around the closest heavy object. Just as slowly and carefully, he brought himself back to his feet, shooting the large stick in his hands a quick glance before looking back to "the spot."  
  
Everything was still and silent. Not a wind blew through the area, not a leave rustled. Nothing stirred or made any sound. Arich was just as rigid and still as the rock he stood next to, waiting without fear for the thing to come out.  
  
But everything remained the same. Tentatively, Arich took a ginger step forwards, his gaze never leaving the area the rustling had come from. He raised the stick higher and higher and higher with each step he took, his curiosity and animosity growing. He stood almost right in front of the spot when it came.  
  
Something slapped him hard in the face, sending him reeling backwards and sliding across the hard ground. A slithering, slimy sound was approaching him- Arich could hear it crystal clear. He brought himself to his feet, trying to focus his blurring vision.  
  
It was maybe ten feet tall, fourteen with the strange cage of leave that lay on its ugly head. It resembled a sort of cabbage, except grown grossly out of proportion. Underneath of bushy bottom leaves were a variety of vines that seemed to serve as both weapons and legs.  
  
Arich faced the strange creature with apprehension, gazing at its strange form disgustedly. It advanced, making a strange gurgling sound, and Arich stepped back. Two beady black eyes stared at him from underneath unhealthy looking leaves as the creature took another stride forwards. It extended a long, curvy vine towards his neck, writhing hypnotically.  
  
Arich jumped back just as the creature was about to grab him, striking the vine that had come towards him. The heavy stick met its target easily, and Arich was satisfied with the slapping sound it made when it connected, and the screech of anger and pain the creature emitted.  
  
Arich shifted his weight from foot to foot, staring down the stunned creature. It looked at him a moment, as though expecting him to apologize. When Arich only continued to glare, the creature let out another screech.  
  
It came forwards quickly, several of its vines stretching out towards the prince. Arich ducked under the first one with a fluidic motion, bending over backwards to avoid it wrapping around him. Spinning on his heel, he struck at a second which had been trying to get at his middle. He leapt back, slicing at one which came straight at his head. Part of the end fell off uselessly, wriggling on the ground. The now tip-less vine retreated back under the creature, dripping green fluid.  
  
A mass of stinky vines surrounded Arich, and expertly, he weaved through them. Using one as a ladder, he managed to get up towards the creatures head. Letting out a soft war-cry, he connected the blow with an angry eye, smiling victoriously as the creature reeled back.  
  
Amarant's training had paid off, after all.  
  
Arich heard something behind him, and he turned just in time to see another vine reaching for him. Ducking to avoid it, he swung the stick up and hit it. A twig protrusion stabbed into the vine as it wriggled angrily. He yanked it out, rolling down the side of the creature's head, and blocked as yet another vine reached for him. It wound around his weapon, pulling at it with menace.  
  
Arich yanked back, digging his feet into the ground. He kicked at several vines that attempted to grab his feet, but never looked away from the struggle for his weapon. With on final determined tug, the vine lifted both stick and determined prince into the air.  
  
"Eaagh!" Arich yelled, the vine violently throwing him around. Arich kicked with whatever he could get at, knowing full well it was doing minimal damage. The vine swung him from side to side, trying desperately to throw him off. But Arich was determined, and with gritted teeth and pounding head, managed to hang on.  
  
The creature was not easily discouraged. With a screech, it slammed Arich against the nearest tree. The impact was full-force, and with a jolt of malicious pain, Arich was reminded of his earlier wounds. He cried out, trying to keep his grip on the stick.  
  
The vine swung again. A loud thud sounded as Arich struck the tree's side, bark flying everywhere. The rough sides of the tree scratched his cheeks, leaving small dots of blood on his normally otherwise unblemished complexion. The impact on his back left him gasping for air and dizzy.  
  
A sound of anger and frustration came from the plant-creature. It pulled the dazed Arich up as high as it could, waving him, frustrated, back and forth with all possible speed.   
  
Dull pain throbbed all over Arich's body, and he could feel a few bruises forming from where he had hit the tree. Swinging round and round did nothing to help his dizziness, either. He was about convinced it couldn't get any worse when the creature let go.  
  
He had to have been nearly twenty feet in the air- definitely not a height he wished to fall from. He crashed into the ground, screaming, with a loud crack. Arich wasn't sure if it was the stick breaking under him or his head splitting in two.  
  
The creature hovered over him menacingly, reaching with its horrible vines towards him. It wrapped around his middle, pulling him up once again. Arich's head was spinning, and weakly he kicked the vines before him. He dug his fingernails into the vine's flesh, watching with satisfaction as more of the gooey green liquid poured out. The creature didn't seem to notice, too intent on its purpose and filled with rage, and only continued lifting him up and up…  
  
Realizing that it was planning to drop him again, the woozy Arich snapped to attention. He had to think of something, and fast. He eyed the vine wrapped around him angrily, and with a determined howl, sunk his fang-like teeth into it.  
  
Instantly, the liquid filled his mouth. It tasted awful- like mud- but he did not release the vine from his mouth. Instead, listening to the plant-thing howl just as he had did, he ripped a piece of the vine out. Another scream sounded from the creature, but Arich paid no attention to it. He merely spat out the vine piece and lowered his mouth again.  
  
But his teeth never met the gooey vine.   
  
A crackling sound came from underneath him, and the vines instantly unwound themselves from his middle. He started to fall, the wind whistling in his ears- as well as a horrific tearing sound. Arich braced himself for the impact, his teeth gritted, his back arched.  
  
"FLOAT!" a mystic voice decreed, and Arich halted in his perilous fall. He felt as though he were drifting on a cloud, a comforting cushion of air. It soothed him, and he began to drift off…  
  
*You fool,* Arich screamed at himself. *Wake up! This is no time to be sleeping!*  
  
He sat upright, bringing himself into the conscious world. A soft current of air was moving underneath him, and he watched the rippling of it for a moment, mesmerized-  
  
TWHAP! A vine hit him square in the face.  
  
"You idiot! If you're not going to help, at least get out of the way!" a strained voice called, and Arich looked down to see a young woman dressed in white and orange glaring at him.  
  
He jumped to his feet, getting into a ready position. The plant-creature was backing away, its vines waving about aimlessly in fear and pain. Below him, a strange little person with a tall hat with chanting under his breath, and the girl from before was chasing after the creature with a dagger. She struck at whatever she could connect with, and each time, the creature reeled back.  
  
But this was not the time for sitting and watching- this was the time for action. Readily, Arich jumped down from his protective cloud, landing on the ground with cat-like grace. Making sure the creature didn't see him, he crept across the ground, searching for any type of weapon. Two thick pieces of branch- probably his broken weapon from before- were lying untouched on the ground. Arich snatched them up, one in each hand, and twirled them expertly in between his fingers.  
  
He took a running leap at the creature, yelling as he went. He struck time and time again, warding off vine after vine. The creature was mortally wounded by the other two at this point, so it didn't put up much of a fight.  
  
A voice came from the other side of the creature as Arich warded off another vine.  
  
"Vi! Now!"  
  
"FIRE!"  
  
There was a burst of sound, an explosion of light, and a feeling of heat all in one second. Arich flipped back, bewildered by the sudden change, watching with both horror and excitement as a huge burst of flame enveloped the entire plant creature. The was a bone-shattering screech that came from inside the flames, and then all was eerily silent.  
  
In a puff of smoke, the fire disappeared altogether, and all that was left of the plant creature was a pile of withering dust.  
  
Arich stepped out from the shadows, eyes wide as he tried to suppress a grin. He stood momentarily watching as the wind stirred the ashes and blew them away.  
  
"You know, Vivi, I'm really starting to like this new talent of yours," the girl said, her voice a little distant and tired. The one called Vivi gave a nervous laugh as a response.  
  
"Hey- you! Are you alright?"  
  
Arich looked up, seeing the girl approach. The hood she had had over her head had now fallen over her shoulder, and it revealed a face covered in repressed worry. She stopped just short of him, brushing back cocoa hair and blinking at him.  
  
Arich nodded. "I am fine," he said. "I must thank you for your help. I would have never beaten that creature without you."  
  
The girl began to look increasingly nervous. "You're… um, welcome," she said slowly. Arich titled his head, opening his mouth to say something-  
  
-but he stopped as he saw the pendant- the very pendant he was looking for- dangling around her neck.  
  
"*You!*" Arich yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the girl. She stared at it, eyes narrowed. "You are the thief!"  
  
She glared at him, her mouth furrowing into a frown. "I do *not* like the use of that term!" she shouted back. "I prefer 'opportunity chaser.'"  
  
Arich found his anger rising. "Regardless of what *you* wish to call it, you are nothing but a petty thief! Hand over that necklace immediately!"  
  
She let out a little laugh. "What?"  
  
"You heard me," Arich growled. "Hand me that necklace and clear yourself of your sin!"  
  
"Do you honestly expect me to just *give* this back? You're not in the castle anymore, Sir Prince-I certainly do not have to obey your every command," she scoffed, tucking the necklace under her cloak. "If you want it so bad, come and take it." She sneered at him, grinning.  
  
Arich stared at her in shock. No one had *ever* disobeyed him. No one had *ever* defied him. No one had *ever* crossed him. And yet this girl- this lowly thief- was going against him so easily.  
  
"You *will* hand that pendant back, girl, or so help me I'll-"  
  
"You'll what? Order your guards on me? We're not in your territory anymore. You have no power here."  
  
"Uh, guys?" the one called Vivi interrupted, but neither of the two teenagers were listening.  
  
"Filthy wretch! How dare you say such things to an heir to the throne! You will pay dearly for your words of treason!"  
  
"Come off it! There's no one here who can possibly make me 'pay dearly!' I told you- you hold no power here!"  
  
"Guys?" Vivi repeated.  
  
"I have people all over this planet! There is no escape for such villains as you!"  
  
"Villains?! *Villains?!* Vivi and I here are just trying to survive!"  
  
"By taking things from the royal family of Alexandria? Ha!"  
  
"GUYS!" Vivi shouted at the top of his lungs, and both the aggravated thief and enraged prince turned to see just what Vivi's problem was.  
  
"What?!" Toy snapped.  
  
Vivi pointed over Toy's shoulder, and she and Arich both looked to see what the matter was.  
  
"Damn," Toy commented.  
  
"Oh…," Arich said.  
  
Out of nowhere, thousands of thick, thorned vines were encasing the forest, and steadily they were coming towards the bewildered trio. The trees and plants that were touched by these threatening vines turned gray and hard, immediately much more still than before.  
  
The forest was turning to stone.  
  
  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
I'm in a bit of a rush, so I'm sorry if this chapter was a little rough and senseless. And if I used the same word or something over and over, forgive me. I hardly got any sleep last night. Plus I went to bed at seven in the AM, so it doesn't help my "creative skills," as someone once put it. I promise I will take more care on the next one, but right now I'm out of time. At least I got this one in early, right? ^_^  
  
As always, please give me a review so I can have some feedback and a reason to keep writing. After all, no one wants to keep writing when no one is reading. I KNOW there are people reading this one, so I shouldn't have to worry about that, should I? ^_^  
  
-ME 


	4. Ice Caverns and Strange Excuses

Disclaimer: *sigh* Another one of these things? By the Gods, but this is annoying. I don't own any of the characters from FF9, or anything else Squaresoft makes. Happy?  
  
Author's Note: I was quite surprised at how well the third chapter went over. I was so tired when I wrote it, and in such a rush, I figured everyone would hate it. But apparently not. I got more feedback in one hour than I ever thought possible for such a chapter. But that is definitely not a bad thing! I'm glad all you people have taken an interest in my story and have chosen to review.   
  
Please, if you are reading, I would really, really like you to review. It means a lot to me when people leave me a kind reminder that they are reading, and it gives me the motivation to get the next chapter out- and perhaps, like the last chapter, out early. So, if you are reading, just give a review- even if it's something like: good story.  
  
Wow, that last paragraph sounded like begging… Anyways, I should start working on other fics soon, but I promise you, this story will not get pushed to the back of the line- it will remain TOP PRIORITY. After all, I couldn't disappoint all my faithful readers- and those other people who stop by from time to time. ^_^ Thank you all!  
  
Ok, the story here is going to resemble FF9 for a little bit, but I will change it to my own take later. I'm just too lazy right now to come up with my own ideas…. Sorry… But, this story is getting better, so be thankful for that. I am sorry if this chapter doesn't make much sense. I need a reason for Arich to stay with Toy and Vivi, and this is all I could come up with. Much apologies to my readers if it seems stupid! O.o  
  
Without further ado or weirdness, here is chapter four!  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
A few strands of wandering silver hair fell into Kuja's midnight blue eyes. The wind whipped them back immediately, singing through his ears. The muscles of his silver dragon pulsed beneath him, and Kuja could tell it was eager to go faster.  
  
"Settle," he ordered, his voice quiet and calm. He looked seriously down to the ground, so far away, scanning it for any signs of human life. His enhanced vision had no trouble detecting the details, but there was nothing but the same old scenery. He frowned.  
  
It had been an hour already. His eyebrows wrinkled. He hadn't planned on becoming the queen's personal servant. He *definitely* had a hard time playing the dutiful slave. That old windbag was just itching to pull his strings. A smirk appeared fleetingly across his face. She was just asking for it…  
  
He shook the thought out of his head. Her time would come. Definitely, her time would come. But for now, he was going to have to play the part of faithful minion. That was the only way.  
  
Kuja leaned to the right, guiding the dragon to where he wished it to go. It obeyed without thought process, automatically following his command.  
  
It was true, he was not as intent on fulfilling his mission as any faithful minion would have been, but then again, he *was* only playing the part. It certainly did *not* reflect on his personality. He smiled again. No, not at all.  
  
The scenery beneath the young man shifted from rolling green hills to a shrouded forest, blanketed in dark Mist. If he had been any normal man, it would have been quite impossible for him to see the forest, but Kuja was- by far-*not* normal. The forest was as easily seen to him as if it had been right in front of his face. He gave it a quick look over.  
  
It at first seemed fine- a normal, although dark, forest. Nothing out of the ordinary. But then he caught a movement- a rustle of a section of leaves in unison, as though something impossibly huge was moving. Kuja ordered the dragon lower, curious to see what it was. His tail swiped back and forth in both curiosity and puzzlement. A section further up rustled, and then both areas stopped altogether. They became gray and still, unstirred by the subtle movements of the Mist and wind. With an incline of his head, Kuja registered the odd truth. It was, simply enough, turning to stone.  
  
The silver dragon went higher upon silent request, heading away from the strange forest. *Well, if it was in there, it's probably gone now,* Kuja thought, his eyes gleaming in pleasure at the thought of the queen's face if she knew.  
  
With a haughty shake of his head, Kuja wheeled the dragon back in the direction of the sun.  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
Duck and weave, duck and weave. That was the only thought that dared pierce Toy's fear-stricken mind. The thorns came from everywhere, cutting off paths, surrounding them- making it almost impossible to move. She squeezed through several that had wound around each other, scratching her clothes on multiple (and overgrown) thorns.  
  
"Toy!"'  
  
She turned, halfway through a sprinting step, to see Vivi attempting the same move she had tried moments before, but now stuck in between the vines. Without a second thought, she raced to his side to pull him through, seconds before the vines crushed against each other. Barely taking the time to register Vivi's near-death, she pulled him along after her.  
  
Duck and weave, duck and weave.  
  
"Look out!" she vaguely heard the prince shout. A thorn-covered vine shot out in front of her, narrowly missing her face. With a slight squeal of surprise, she yanked Vivi away as she turned to follow the prince's lead.  
  
She had to admit- even in the obviously inappropriate time- that the prince was quite nimble; like a cat. He could easily dodge the oncoming vines, using the same technique she was repeating in her head. He was constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure she and Vivi were still behind him, calling out warnings when need be.  
  
They were nearing the end of the place. Toy could see the light piercing through the now sparse trees, a beam of hope to her exhausted mind. She pulled a stumbling Vivi on, speeding up to avoid being struck by the vicious vines.  
  
She sucked in a breath, her feet going faster than she ever thought possible. Out of the corner of her desperate eye, she could see more of those deadly vines approaching their exit from the sides, attempting to block their only way out.  
  
The prince took a running leap at the edge of the forest, rolling onto the ground outside. Toy, although still some distance away, hastily swung Vivi as hard as she could towards the exit, relieved as she saw him tumble out of harm's way.  
  
And now for herself. Vivi was already on his feet, heading back for her. Toy let out a breath, greedily taking in the next…  
  
"Toy!"  
  
She was almost there- she could practically taste freedom on her tongue. She was going to do it. She was going to cheat death.  
  
With a determined look in her eye, she leapt for the end…  
  
…only to be stopped by a constriction of vines.  
  
They wrapped around her form, leaving her half in the petrified forest, and half out. Desperately, she tried to wriggle out, but the more she tried, the tighter the thorned vines became. She wrapped her hands around a cool thorn, trying to push herself out, but it was no use.  
  
The cold of stone was approaching her fast, biting at her heels. She could hear Vivi muttering a spell under his breath, but she knew it would be too late. She cried out as she felt the petrification wrap around her heels, crawling up her leg-  
  
-and yelled once again as she collided into the chest of a prince.  
  
She was immediately pulled to her feet, and the prince had his hands on her shoulders, looking over her with knitted brows for any sign of physical injury. She had to lower her eyes against the scrutinizing teal gaze, wriggling away from his grip.  
  
"I'm alright, I'm alrig-"  
  
"TOY!"   
  
She was interrupted mid-sentence as Vivi jumped up and tackled her. He wrapped his soot-covered arms around her neck, trembling against her shoulder. His voice was muffled by the fact that he had pressed his face into the crook of her neck.  
  
"I'm so sorry- I couldn't save you in time! After you saved me and all, I just would have felt awful if you had died! I'm so glad you're alright! You couldn't just leave me, you know! I'd be all alone! I'm so glad you're alright! Thank you!" His words came so fast Toy could hardly understand him, but she understood what he meant all the same. Gently, she eased him off, and with a kind smile, stood up.  
  
"I'm fine now, Vi. Don't worry, ok? Everything's alright."  
  
The prince stood awkwardly to the side, watching the strange duo revel in the fact that they were both still alive. Toy looked to him, not sure exactly what to say or think. Hadn't he just minutes earlier decreed her a dead-woman? It was mind-boggling.  
  
She sucked in her pride, walking until she was right in front of him. "Thank you. For… you know… Thanks," she murmured.  
  
The prince nodded. "You are welcome. I was indebted to you, since you so kindly saved me from certain destruction before. And now, by saving your life, I have repaid that debt."  
  
Toy blinked. "Oh, yeah. That. Well, uh… Yeah." There was an uncomfortable silence, and then Toy forced herself to speak again. "Well, you know, just for future reference, I'm Toy. Or at least, that's what my friends call me."  
  
"I am well aware of your name. Your friend over there was kind enough to scream it in my ear a few times, just so there would be now way I could forget."  
  
"Yeah, Vivi can overdo it sometimes."  
  
Another silence. Again, Toy blinked. "Well, aintcha gonna tell me your name?"  
  
The prince looked stunned, as though the thought that she could not know his name was unfathomable.  
  
"I've only been to Alexandria but this once," Toy explained. *Came especially for the pendant,* she added in her head, but the longer the prince forgot about it, the better.  
  
"Oh, I see. I am Arich Tate til Alexandros the Twenty-First, heir to the throne of Alexandria." His voice carried a regal tone to it when he said those words, but it also had an air of boredom- as though he had repeated the phrase once too much.  
  
Toy blinked. "Ah," she said.  
  
"Toy… Can we go? This place gives me the creeps," Vivi called, shuffling silently over to the pair.  
  
Toy nodded. "The faster we get away from here, the better," she commented. She gave a nod in the prince's direction. "Been nice meeting you. Hope to see you again sometime."  
  
The prince narrowed his eyes. "You are not going *anywhere* without me until you hand over that necklace!"  
  
"This again? I might have been ready to hand it over if you had been a little quicker to help me out, but there's no way you're getting it now!"  
  
"Quicker to help you out? There was hardly five seconds between the time you got stuck and the time I helped you! Besides, I *did* save your life, you ungrateful worm, and you should be ready to hand over the pendant by even the thought of helping such a low-life as you!"  
  
"Weren't you the one who said that you owed me one for saving *your* royal ass? And now you're preaching about how I should give you back the pendant for you paying back your debt?"  
  
"Oh, Gods," Vivi muttered, slapping his forehead as the trio trekked into the horizon and the rising sun.  
  
******  
  
It was a long walk, for Vivi in particular- he had to listen the constant arguing of his companions.  
  
"You know, I'm getting *real* tired of your mouth. There isn't anything you can do about it!"  
  
"You could have ended this argument hours ago if you had only handed over what is rightfully mine!"  
  
"Oh, you big baby! You have everything you heart desires, and all you can think about is this silly old thing! You only want what you can't have!"  
  
"'Silly old thing'?! That 'silly old thing' is worth more than you ever will be!"  
  
"Well, if you want it so bad, Prince Hotshot, why don't you just take it?!"  
  
There was silence in Arich's end, and Vivi was beginning to get his dying hopes up. Several seconds passed, and finally, the prince spoke.  
  
"It would be dishonorable to… *touch*… a lady so."  
  
Toy frowned in confusion. "Lady?"  
  
"A woman," Arich corrected, giving her a scrutinizing look.  
  
For several more seconds, everything was quiet. Vivi was about to heave a sigh of relief when…  
  
"But that still doesn't give you the right to take anything of mine! It belongs to me, thief! Now hand it over!"  
  
"No way! Vivi and I are hardly to survive with what little money we're making. This thing is gonna support us for the rest of our lives! You think I'm going to just *hand* it over?" She laughed. "Boy, do you have a lot to learn!"  
  
Arich glared at her, his eyes aglow with a fierce light. "You are a stubborn one, thief. So be it. I have no choice but to call the guard on you."  
  
Toy raised her eyebrows. "You do realize that we are in the middle of nowhere, right? It's going to be kind of difficult to call any guard on me."  
  
Arich sighed. "Do you think I am that daft as I do not realize that? I know perfectly well I cannot call them from here." There was a mysterious look to his face. "Besides, they are probably out right now, searching for me. It won't be much longer."  
  
Toy shook her head. "Their chances of finding us are about zilch. I wouldn't get my hopes up too high if I were you."  
  
Arich just glared at the back of her head. Both kept quiet as they climbed the summit of a hill, only to resume once they were coming down the other side.  
  
"Why are you following us, anyway? You're not going to get it back, and you don't seem willing to take it from us. What's the point, Hotshot?" Toy looked over her shoulder, and she looked honestly curious, although a little frustration was mixed in.  
  
The prince frowned. "Well… I need to get to the nearest city, so I find an airship that will take me to Alexandria. There I can-"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, we know. We know! Alert the guard! Will you two just be quiet? It's five in the morning, I'm cold, wet and hungry, and you guys haven't stopped arguing since we left the forest! Shut it already!" Vivi shouted, his shoulders hunched and his eyes glistening with rage. "Nobody cares about your little problems! *You're* not getting the pendant back, and *you're* not helping anything! Just… both of you, accept that you hate each other and move on before I cast a thunder spell on you!"  
  
He stomped off down the plain, muttering under his breath. Toy and Arich looked at each other, a little stunned, before chasing after him.  
  
"How dare you speak to me that way!"  
  
"Vivi, what's gotten into you?! Why so horribly mean all of a sudden?"  
  
"Well *maybe* it has something to do with the fact that you won't be quiet!"  
  
"*I'm* not the problem here, Hotshot! If you had just left us alone and went about your business, we wouldn't have this problem!"  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
Amarant trudged on through the cavern, watching as the dim light bounced playfully of the walls that shimmered with ice. He could see his breath in front of him, stirring and moving away as he moved through it. His boots gripped the ice expertly, not allowing him to slip on the slick floor. He shivered, the area around him settling.  
  
Why in the world had he chosen *this* place to search for the prince? Arich could not be so stupid as to enter here, could he? Amarant shrugged. There was no telling what the prince would and would not do. He had a tendency to get caught up in the moment and forget about common sense. But then again, His Majesty never really did have that much common sense to begin with…  
  
Amarant glanced around the glistening area once before continuing on to the next. Why in the world had he left? Was he so honestly foolish as to believe that he could catch the girl himself? He shook his head. No. Arich may not have had common sense, but he was not one to be rash. There had to be a reason behind it. But what?  
  
He shrugged. What did it matter? All that counted was finding the prince and bringing him back.  
  
"You're much more trouble than you're worth, prince," Amarant joked, smiling to himself. Perhaps it was true.  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
Another hour later, and the bickering between the prince and the thief had died down to the occasional insult.   
  
Vivi was still fuming, his little yellow eyes burning inside of his skull, his boots hitting the grassy ground much harder than was needed. He tried as best he could to block out all negative thoughts, and even though he was an optimist, he found it hard to do so. He hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday and he was impossibly hungry. The Mist was heavy and thick, so he couldn't see and he was impossibly wet. He hadn't slept all night, being as he and Toy had spent hours searching for the prince. He was exhausted, seeing as he had used all his magic and energy reserves on the plant-thing. All this left him excessively grumpy, and the fact that Arich and Toy *still* hadn't shut up was not helping, either.  
  
But after a while, even they became too tired to complain or argue, which did lift Vivi's mood some. There was the occasional grunt from Arich, and Toy was no doubt giving everyone dirty looks, but it was better than constant bickering.  
  
"What say we find somewhere to rest for a little while, hm?" Arich suggested, stopping dead in his tracks. The other two turned to look at him, tired eyes now filled with frustration.  
  
"You can sit and rest all you want- you aren't in danger of being persecuted by the queen's men," Toy pointed out, her voice flat with exhaustion. Vivi nodded his agreement, turning around to start walking again.  
  
Arich smirked. "So, the cocky little thief is afraid of being caught after all."  
  
Toy ignored him, stomping after Vivi and enjoying the way the grass crushed under her heavy black boots. She did not, however, like the tone in Arich's voice as he said that, nor did she like the fact that she heard him walking just behind her. And the fact that she had tears in her clothes and morning dew all over her? Yeah, definitely not doing anything to make her exactly chipper.  
  
They all walked on in aggravated silence for quite some time. It was only when they saw an opening in the side of a mountain did any of them speak up.  
  
"Looks inviting," Toy commented, shrugging. "It's probably our best bet to getting to safety."  
  
Vivi looked at her. "But… It's a cave… I don't think…"  
  
"Oh, nonsense. We'll be fine. 'Sides, I'll protect you from anything big and scary." Toy winked. Vivi lowered his head in submission.  
  
"You mean to tell me we're going in there?" Arich asked, his voice incredulous.  
  
Toy looked over her shoulder at him as she and Vivi proceeded inside. "Well, *we* are going in there. You're welcome to stay outside and wait for your castle buddies for all I care."  
  
Arich hustled after them. "Don't think you're getting rid of me *that* easily," he said, walking in after them. "There's no way you're losing me now."  
  
Vivi picked up his pace, just in case they started arguing again. To his surprise, however, Toy remained silent. Vivi chanced a glance at her. Her head was lowered and she was staring at the ground, her eyes darkened with concentration.  
  
She was thinking something, and whatever it was, it was not good.  
  
"My Gods," Arich breathed.  
  
They stood inside of a high-ceilinged cavern. Everything was absolutely covered in ice- it hung from the ceiling, shot up from the floor, clung to the walls and smothered every rock. The once rocky floor was now made slippery because of it, and Vivi noticed that although he had stopped walking to get a look around, he was still moving forwards. He looked down at his feet on the iced-over ground, just to be sure he was not still walking and he wasn't aware of it.  
  
Nope. He was sliding.  
  
The thought lifted his spirits immediately. He began sliding back and forth across the floor, giggling with glee. Toy shook her head as she passed him, calling out. "Come on, Vi. No time for play now."  
  
Vivi "skated" over to her. She guessed that if he had in fact possessed a physical mouth, he would have been smirking. He followed her into in to the next area, sliding all the while.  
  
Toy shivered as she struggled to remain upright. The ice caught her feet, tugging maliciously to pull her down. She flailed her arms, tipping over. Something pulled her upright and steadied her.   
  
She lifted her gaze to the right as she resumed walking, noticing how the prince purposefully and perhaps smugly avoided her gaze.  
  
What was with him, anyway? First he saves her life, even though if he had just let her die, he could have taken the pendant from her neck and been done with it. And now he was almost helping her. If it had been she who was in his position, she would have let him fall flat on his face. She couldn't understand him. Maybe it was some royal honor code.  
  
And why was he sticking with them? He couldn't be following them just for the silly pendant, could he? Why hadn't he just taken it? Sure it was tucked under her cloak, in an area that he may not have wanted to be grabbing for, but it was within his reach. He could have been over and done with this whole headache if he had just taken it and ran. There *had* to be some other reason he was tagging along. He couldn't possibly be *that* stubborn, no matter how valuable the pendant was. She shook her head. No, there was something else. She had no idea what, but it had to be there.  
  
Or maybe the prince was just spoiled.  
  
Toy pulled the pendant out from under her cloak, watching as the light bounced off it and shot into every direction. She admired the way it looked on her, the way it shined brilliantly even in the dim lighting of the cavern. It shimmered expectantly, glowing in her hands. It was truly magnificent.  
  
She sighed, snapping out of her trance. Her hands release their grip on it, and she let it drop down onto her chest. It was no use getting caught up in these things. She just had to keep her mind on the moment.  
  
Vivi let out a laugh that resonated through the ice-cavern. He slid across the room, his eyes lit up, laughing louder this time.  
  
"Vivi!" Toy fussed in a harsh whisper. "Don't be so loud- you might make the icicles fall or something!"  
  
Vivi sighed. "You never let me have any fun," he whined, although there was more joking in his voice than anything else.  
  
"We can ice skating in the rink at Lindblum, but right now I need you to be quiet, ok?"  
  
Vivi nodded, although he continued sliding. He propelled himself of a stalagmite icicle, shooting towards the next "doorway." He repressed a squeal of delight, reveling in how fast he was going. With lightning-fast speed (or so he was convinced), he flew through to the next room.  
  
CLANG! BOOM! BANG!  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
"What in the world…?"  
  
Toy rushed across the floor to her fried, taking care not to fall flat on her face. Vivi was sprawled out in the opening to the next room, his face flat on the floor. He sat up, rubbing his head, his eyes a little unfocused.  
  
"Vi, are you alright? What happened?" Toy asked, stopping down to help him to his feet. Vivi wobbled a little.  
  
"I-," he began, but he was interrupted.  
  
"He bumped into me, Lady," a gruff voice called from the other side. Toy, startled, looked up to see a threatening-looking redhead in armor staring down at her. Or, at least, she *thought* he was staring. She couldn't tell through the masses of hair that covered his eyes.  
  
"AMARANT?" Arich nearly shouted, sliding forwards. His eyes were wide with happiness and possible relief as he looked over the man in front of them. "What are you doing in place like this?"  
  
"I might ask you the same question, my prince." Amarant looked to Toy and Vivi. "Who are these creatures that you have with you?"  
  
Arich gave Toy an apprehensive glance. "*These*," he started, his voice carrying an accusing tone.  
  
Toy froze. This guy was obviously with the Pluto Knights. If Arich told him- which he surely would- both her and Vivi would be dead. There was no escape now…  
  
But Arich's voice had apparently caught in his throat, for he said nothing. There was a moment of silence in which Amarant gave Vivi and Toy a look-over, and then shot an anticipating glance at Arich.  
  
"These," he repeated, his voice less accusing and more friendly, "are my friends."  
  
"Friends?" Amarant asked.  
  
*FRIENDS?* Toy thought. Why was he protecting them all of a sudden? Surely if he were with the Pluto Knights he would remember her from the castle. She looked again. No. He hadn't been one of the knights after her, and he hadn't been one of the guards at the door to the queen's seats. He wouldn't not know who she was. He would not recognize her.  
  
"Um… This is-"  
  
"Toy," she interrupted, extending her hand to the knight. He took and shook it warmly, smiling. "And that little guy is Vivi."  
  
"Pleased to meet you," Vivi said, his voice muffled. He was utterly confused. Hadn't Toy said to never give their names to anyone who was… well, like this Amarant. Official. Able to arrest them. All that stuff. It was definitely weird. But then again, Arich was being weird, too. He wondered what exactly was in the air in this place.  
  
"I tried to catch the intruder on my own. I jumped out after the airship, hoping to catch the person who invaded the castle and restore our honor. Unfortunately, due to some unfortunate circumstances, the airship crashed into a nearby forest. The Misty Forest, I believe. The intruder was killed but I escaped somehow alive. I was wandering through the forest, trying to find some way home, when I was attacked by some sort of plant monster. These two saved me from and are graciously taking me to the nearest town to find an airship that will take me home."  
  
"Oh?" said Amarant, his voice skeptical. "And what were these two doing in that evil forest?"  
  
Arich looked taken aback for a second, but quickly regained himself. "They are but simple travelers, wandering the world, looking for their meal. Right?"  
  
Toy jumped to attention. "Yeah, travelers. Right." She elbowed Vivi's hat, screaming silently for him to say something.  
  
"Travelers. Yup. Definitely," he said, nodding vigorously.  
  
"Travelers," Arich repeated, just in case Amarant hadn't figured it out.  
  
The knight smiled. "Well, I must thank you Toy and Vivi. If the prince owes you his life, then so do I. A million-"  
  
His voice faltered and stopped. Toy anxiously looked up at the knight, following his gaze to her torso. She froze.  
  
He was looking at the pendant.  
  
*Stupid, stupid, STUPID girl!* Toy screamed at herself. *You just had to look at it, didn't you? Just had to admire it! And then you couldn't put it back under your cloak. You and Vivi would be home free by now if you hadn't made such a stupid mistake!*  
  
"Arich, why is the royal pendant around this girl's neck?" Amarant asked, suspicion evident in his voice.  
  
Arich turned pale. "Well… you see Amarant… Toy… um… She saved my life, and it would unchivalrous to only give verbal thanks. Since I had nothing else with me at the time, I gave her the pendant as a symbol of my thanks."  
  
"You gave her the pendant? Arich, you know how valuable that is to your family. Why-"  
  
"You dare question my judgment, Amarant? This girl has saved me from certain demise. She is every bit as deserving of that pendant as anyone of royal blood. Perhaps more so! You yourself taught me never to be ungrateful and always to give thanks. Even this was not proper thanks for saving my life, but until we can give her and her friend a proper ceremony, this will have to suffice!"  
  
His words stunned Toy and Vivi, and evidently Amarant as well. They all stood in silence, watching Arich with dumbfounded eyes until Amarant finally spoke.  
  
"I apologize, Your Majesty. If you say it is so, then it is so."  
  
"Then it is so!" Arich echoed, inclining his head. "Come, let us continue on. We are far from home. Let us head to the next town. We will find a way home there." He marched off, head held high in the air, leaving the other three completely speechless.  
  
Amarant was the first to recover. He looked Vivi and Toy over once again before heading off after his charge. Vivi and Toy gave each other confused glances.  
  
"That… that defies all logic!" Toy whispered.   
  
Vivi nodded, letting out a puff of air. "I wonder what got into him?"  
  
Toy shrugged, pulling Vivi's hand. "C'mon. We wouldn't want to fall behind Sir Rusty and Prince Hotshot, now would we?"  
  
Vivi laughed quietly, following his friend after the other two.  
  
They walked silently a little way, Toy periodically shaking her head and muttering under her breath. Everything seemed quite alright, although a little weird.  
  
Until the sound came.  
  
Toy wasn't sure what it was. It was almost like a crystal bell, ringing far off in the distance. It rang once quietly, causing all four of the travelers to stop and listen. Again, it rent the air, but this time louder. It rang over and over in their ears, its volume increasing each time. Vivi cried out, pressing his hands over his ears and sinking to his knees. He collapsed onto the ground. And the bell kept ringing.  
  
The air began to smell sickly-sweet, a strange mixture of lilacs and smoke. It overtook the air forcefully, filling all of their nostrils with its stench. One whiff of it left Amarant senseless, and with a groan, he crumpled up onto the ground. And the bell kept ringing.  
  
The temperature around them dropped drastically. The chill ran up Toy's spine, leaving fleshy goose bumps to cover her entire body. She felt like all the heat in her body had suddenly evaporated into thin air. With a weak shiver, she too fell into the snow-covered ground. And the bell kept ringing.  
  
Arich struggled to stay awake, though he knew not why he was having such difficulties. The sound pounded in his ears, the smell infiltrated his nostrils, and the cold enveloped his body. He struggled forwards against an onslaught of a snowy wind, his head lowered.  
  
*Sleep, my child... All the pain will go away if only you sleep…*  
  
Yes… Sleep… Arich let out a sigh of defeat and lazily lay down in the snow. With a wave of bone-jarring force, the ocean of sleep was upon him.  
  
And the bell kept ringing.  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
Sorry if that chapter was a little stupid. It was weird and pointless I know, but I'll find some way to make sense of it all in the next chapter. Explanations for everything will come in later chapters as well, so you won't remain *too* confused for *too* long. I hope.  
  
This chapter might seem a little short, but believe me when I say that it's just as long as the other ones were. I have the rings under my eyes to prove it.  
  
As always, please review. I'm sorry again that this didn't make much sense, but it's 3:49 in the morning for me, so cut me some slack. 


	5. Pax Deorum

Disclaimer: &*@#!!!! Don't you people get it by now?! I OWN NOTHING! NOT EVEN MY OWN NAME!!!!!! Ahem… I'm alright, seriously.  
  
Author's Note: Well, the responses to the last chapter were…. Interesting… I never expected Allison to make any online friends while reviewing me fic- YOU OWE ME ONE, ADORABLE ONE! DON'T THINK I CAN'T FIND YOU! I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE! Actually, I could kinda walk to your house if I wanted to…  
  
Era Yachi: I don't mind you using my review thing as a chat room- makes it look like I have more reviews, anyway. ^_^. Oh, and just so you know, Turbulence has been one of my favorites since it first came out. Good luck!  
  
Kingleby: Boy, you review fast! All your questions will be answered in due time, I promise. Thanks for reviewing every chapter and writing another one of my favorite stories!  
  
Ominix: Zidane is a prince, and as such, doesn't really carry a weapon around. I wouldn't imagine he would, since he was watching a play right before he left, you know. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope to see some stuff from you soon.  
  
G3: Well well, Kyoy actually reviewed. Haha, just kidding. I knew you would, even if it took you forever and a bit of poking. And, just for the record, Wesley is not to die for.  
  
Steeple333: I'm writing, I'm writing. And thanks for the compliment!  
  
C-Dawg: You should check my story when I tell you it's updated it you don't want this to happen again, Courtney! Hmph.  
  
ShiAne: Don't worry about all the little details- that's my job. Just try to enjoy the fic for the little it's worth. And thanks for all your reviews!  
  
If I forgot anyone, yell at me in a review and I'll shout out to you in the next chapter.  
  
Sorry for the extreme delay, but I had a little eye trouble, and then we started moving... (For the full story, visit my live journal, but only if you are truly bored.) I'll try to get chapter six up early to make up for this whole fiasco, but no promises. Anything could come up at the last minute. Oh, and I have a new fic out, so if you're interested, check it out (through my author's profile, since I'm a bad person and I can't spell the title.). It's not nearly as good as this one, but….  
  
The strange words in here are from a song called Pax Deorum, which is, of course, what the chapter is named after. I have no idea what they mean, but they sound creepy enough, so I thought it was cool… ^_^  
  
Ok, this was a long author's note. Thanks for reading, and as always, leave me a review. Normal writers usually get paid with money- if their stuff's at least half-way decent- so I don't think a review is too much to ask…  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
The light was pure and distant, a brilliant blue. It filled his entire vision, burning against his eyes. With frail, tiny hands, he reached towards it. It wrapped around them, concealing them from his vision, covering them in raw heat. He found himself on his feet before he realized it, stumbling forwards, arms outstretched, crying out words he did not recognize.  
  
He squinted against the glare the light created, one arm over his face. With eyes that teared up, it was impossible to see straight.  
  
*... domineoveniteosacramentum*  
  
His footsteps resounded softly in his ears, light and quick. Though he walked with what purpose he had, he, in fact, had no idea where he was going. Or, actually, where he was.  
  
*discesm, eodeo*  
  
Distant and mysterious voices chanted loudly. The song came from all directions at once, a powerful melody of many voices. Their song encased in a smoky rhythm, they called to him, a soothing taunt that drew him forwards. With wobbling legs and trembling hands, he stepped into the center of the light and opened his eyes.  
  
A woman stood in front of him, amethyst eyes opened only slightly. The song issued from her lips, the voice that came ethereal. Trance-like, she swayed back and forth as she chanted.  
  
*... Omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremum. *  
  
She reached towards him although her line of sight was directed into the distance. Some unfelt wind blew her silver hair about her, giving her the look of a goddess.  
  
*... Omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremum. *  
  
Her chant became soft and quiet, still and ominous. It stirred something in his soul- some warning signal. She came towards him, he backed away. More voices overlapped what she sang, worsening the sickening feeling that had begun to arise somewhere inside of him.  
  
*Athairarneamhdialinn... athairarneamhdialiom*  
  
Her eyes opened wide now, an angry glow emitting from them. Still, she did not look at him, but still she reached out to him. He stumbled backwards, squinting against the glare. Finally, she lowered her eyes and stared upon him. The voices became louder, more frantic.  
  
*Athairarneamhdialinn... athairarneamhdialiom*  
  
He turned to run, unsure exactly why he was so afraid- but he *was* afraid, and so he did not stick around to debate why it could be. In truth, he was not sure he had ever run so fast, but at least those times he had come close had a reason behind it. This time, it was just that childish but creepy feeling that made him race back out through the light and towards safety.  
  
*... domineoveniteosacramentum*  
  
The voices still rang in his ears, louder, angrier. They were right behind him, in front of him, flanking both sides. Their song rang through him, outside him, everywhere. It followed him every desperate step he took. He could not escape. He could not escape…  
  
Someone pushed him aside, a shadowy figure he had not seen before. From his position lying on the cold ground, he turned his neck to chance a look, but everything was enshrouded in that damn light. The woman was but feet from him, the only visible thing. But something was distracting her, keeping her thoughts from the frightened child that practically lay at her feet.  
  
*discesm, eodeo*  
  
She turned away from him, facing that figure once again. She chanted softly, her hair fluttering about. Taking a slow step forwards, she reached for whoever it was that stood defiantly before her.  
  
*Athairarneamhdialinn... athairarneamhdialiom*  
  
An explosion of light and he was momentarily blinded. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes, fear twinkling in their distant reaches. He began to rise, eyes locked on his feet, when something caught his eye.  
  
*Athairarneamhdialinn... athairarneamhdialiom*  
  
It was a pool of blood, flowing around his feet and over through the crevices between his toes. He backed away, letting out small screech of terror. He had never before seen so much blood in his life… Tentatively, terrified, he looked up.  
  
*discesm, eodeo!*  
  
She lay there, inches from him, motionless. Surrounded in a pool of her own blood, she looked ghostly and ominous. Her lifeless eyes were turned upon him, the amethyst having faded and replaced by blackness. Without even thinking about it, he splashed through that river of blood and stood over her, eyes wide and shocked.  
  
*discesm, eodeo!*  
  
The light around him was dying out quickly, darkness taking over with malice. He took no notice, transfixed on this dead woman in front of him. He kneeled down in front of her, blood spilling over his bare knees, watching her and yet not seeing.  
  
Footsteps. He looked up and away, meeting a cruel crystal gaze. Eyes stared him down, narrowed in anger and smugness all in the same instant. A word escaped those pale, thin lips, softly hissing.  
  
Brother…  
  
  
  
*discesm, eodeo!*  
  
Arich's teal eyes popped open before he even realized he was awake. For only a moment, he was still, confused. But as he pushed himself up to a sitting position, he realized he had been dreaming, although it was a very strange and very convincing one. He could still hear that song, ringing in his ears, echoing through his mind…  
  
"The bastards…," he mumbled. "They're hounding me." The words escaped his lips before he had a chance to think about what it meant.  
  
He was drowsy, thoughts dwelling on that dream. Ever since he could remember, the young prince's dreams had been foggy and indiscernible. But this one… it was so clear, so disturbing. So… *strange.*  
  
He rubbed his head, sucking in a breath before opening his eyes again. Slowly, Arich blinked.  
  
This was not where he was before…  
  
The room around him was made entirely of some sort of metal, glistening in the light the single lamp hanging on the ceiling provided. A few cargo boxes lined the walls of the room, but that was virtually all that was in there besides himself. It startled Arich nevertheless, and as he stared at the damaged wood door directly in front of him, he began to realize just what he had agreed to get into when he jumped onto that airship so long ago.  
  
Arich was not content to sit there for long. He jumped to his feet easily, marching with purpose over to the wooden door. He grabbed the knob tightly, watching as he turned it slowly in his hands. He attempted to shove it outwards, but when it stubbornly refused to give way, he pulled it towards him. Again, the door squeaked its protests and refused to move.  
  
Aware it was hardly princely behavior, Arich gripped the knob tightly in both his hands and placed both his feet against the door and tugged as hard as he could. But, as was to be expected, the door stayed put, and all the only thing that gave in was the prince. Submissively, he put both of his feet back on the ground and let go of the damaged knob.  
  
Arich sank down, his eyes slowly closing again. A sigh escaped his lips, ringing back and forth against the walls.  
  
With nothing else to preoccupy his mind, he began to think about where he was- or more specifically, why he was there. It was possible the knights from his castle had found him and were taking him back on an airship- which would explain the low rumbling beneath him- but, if they were indeed taking him home, why in the world was he locked up? His people would *never* do that to their prince.  
  
Perhaps they had been kidnapped. But that also made little sense. Who would be wandering through that cave, and decide they wanted to kidnap some random group of travelers? Arich was sure it had happened before, but to him? No, never.  
  
He had backed himself into a corner. There were no obvious reasons left for him to be locked up in this room, bored out of his mind, and- once again- confused beyond belief.  
  
Maybe it was a dream? Arich couldn't help but rapidly shake his head. *That* was impossible. He had even given reason for it earlier- all his dreams to date, besides the one that had just happened, were blurry and pointless. If this was indeed a dream, it was by far the most vivid he had yet. Besides, he had just woken up from a dream, and it made no sense for him to be having another, did it?  
  
Or perhaps this was the dream, and that which he believe to be the dream was reality… But that would mean all of his life was one continuous dream, and what was apparently real randomly jumped around…   
  
*Oh, stop it,* he thought at himself. *You're making things worse, not better.*  
  
Absently, he kicked a little pebble that had somehow found its way into the room, watching it with unfocused eyes as it slid over the floor and across the room. What was he to do now? Granted, he wasn't exactly experience at escaping or anything, but he felt powerless just sitting there. And he hated that feeling more than anything.   
  
Arich felt the door behind him give way, and, yelling out, he unceremoniously tumbled out into a brightly lit hallway. He gazed up above him, his eyebrows knitted together- straight into the face of the strangest creature he had ever seen.  
  
It reminded him of Vivi, though it was slightly taller than the child mage. It had the same burning yellow eyes and black orb for a head. But there were distinct differences- the most obvious being the fact that jutting out from its shoulder blades were two enormous black wings. It stared down at him, and if it had possessed a mouth, Arich was positive it would have been smiling.  
  
"The young prince awakes," it said in a haunting voice that resonated through the hall. Arich blinked twice, watching the bell it held in its hand wing back and forth distractedly.  
  
It crouched down so it was on eye level with the prince- who had, at this point, sat up. "Come with me, my prince. Mistress wishes to see you."  
  
Arich lifted his eyes to those of the creature, raising his eyebrows. "Mistress?" He looked doubtful and cocky in that light.  
  
It nodded, rising to its feet. "You will come with me."  
  
/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/~*~/  
  
ENDING AT RANDOM SPOTS! WOOT!  
  
Yes, yes, I know that was weird and confusing and shortish (my new word). But if it helps, I was pretty lost too. I don't suppose that's a good sign, but it makes me look all mysterious and cool. Which, by the way, I am not. Don't worry, that beginning-dream thing wasn't really supposed to make sense.   
  
I'll give you a shiny penny if you recognize something Arich said in this chapter. Yes, that's right- A SHINY PENNY.  
  
The story is most likely going to be more weird and… I don't know if scary is the right word, although it would describe my writing… Let's just say different, shall we? Maybe serious… NO, STOP!!!  
  
Ahem. Anyways, next chapter will come at a random time since I'm planning on winging it from here on. ^^;;… PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!! I know it was weird and short, but don't leave me now, faithful readers. Stupid moving… 


End file.
